The 7 Best French Press Coffee Makers
If already know your stuff and are only here for some French Press recommendations, feel free to skip to the best French Press list below!
If you want to learn how to make coffee in a French Press, check out our guide!
What is French Press Coffee?
French press coffee is produced by an extremely popular coffee brewing method that is relatively easy and inexpensive to do at home.
The French Press method is an immersion coffee brewing method.
Immersion brewing involves immersing coffee grinds in water and allowing it to steep over a period of time.
As the coffee is steeped, soluble solids and oils are extracted into the hot water. After a few minutes, the plunger is pressed down.
Pressing down on the plunger pushes the liquid, (now coffee) through a metal filter that is designed to allow dissolved solids and small particles through. Larger particles and the actual coffee grinds are retained.
This filtration process differs largely from the use of a paper filter, in that it doesn't soak up any of the flavor or oils that have been extracted from the coffee. The inclusion of these oils and particles leads to the signature French Press coffee taste.
French Press Coffee Taste
The French Press Brewing Process
The French press coffee maker is a relatively straightforward device. It is made up of two main parts. First there's the container in which the water and coffee grounds are placed. Then there's an apparatus composed of a plunger, a lid and a filter, all attached together. Let's discuss the function of each of these components!
The Container:
Usually made of metal or glass, the container portion of the French Press… contains everything. This is where the coffee grinds reside, and where they are immersed in hot water. This is where your coffee is made!
After the steeping process occurs, the plunger, filter & lid come in to play.
The Plunger, Filter & Lid:
This part of the French Press contains a lid, a protruding plunger and a filter.
The lid seals to the top of the container in order to limit the loss of heat.
The plunger is attached to the interior filter, and is pressed down upon completion of the steeping process.
When the plunger is pressed down, the contents of the container move through the filter. The filter allows dissolved solids and small particles to pass through, but prevents larger particles from ending up in your coffee.
There is a ton of variation in the filter design for different models. Some include multiple filters that have been designed very specifically to allow certain things into your cup, while preventing others.
Back in the day, it was always advised to avoid drinking the last little bit of your French Press coffee, because it would be filled with sediment. Those days are largely behind us due to improved filter technology!
Best Coffee for French Press
So what's the best coffee for French Press? Well, it really comes down to personal preference.
That being said, don’t assume that your favorite drip brewed coffee bean will also be your favorite French Press bean. It might not be!
Experiment! Try different types of coffee, roasted at different levels!
You might be surprised how different the final product can be.
You can check out our coffee profile archives to help you find something to try if you like!
Best Grinder for French Press
Our pick for the best coffee grinder for French Press would have to be this one from KRUPS.
This is a Burr Grinder that has a built in scale!
The best part? It's very cheap for a Burr Grinder!
KRUPS GX520851
French Press Vs. Other Brewing Methods
As there are so many coffee brewing methods to choose from, they are inevitably compared to one another... whether they have anything in common or not.
Below we’ll take a look at the similarities (or lack thereof) between French Press brewing and the other brewing methods that it is most commonly compared to.
French Press Vs. Drip Coffee
I suppose everything is compared to drip coffee brewing, as it is the most common method out there. There are not a lot of similarities between drip coffee and French Press coffee, but let’s compare them anyway.
French Press | Drip Coffee | |
|---|---|---|
Taste | Rich & aromatic, full-bodied, maintains flavors of the bean's origin. | Come on, you know what drip coffee tastes like. Somewhat bland compared to French Press. |
Prep Time | About 10 minutes all up. | 5-10 minutes. |
Skill Required | Not a whole lot. | Even less. |
Grind Size | Coarse, (most grinders will have a specified French Press setting). | Fine. |
How does it work? | Immersion coffee brewing. | Filtration / drip brewing method. |
Extra | Maybe an optional extra filter depending on the model you have. | You'll need some paper filters. |
Expect To Pay | $15 - 80 | $20 - anything |
The Bottom Line:
If you're interested in a more flavorful cup of coffee, give French Press a try!
French Press Vs. Chemex
We're comparing immersion and filtration techniques again here, but this time the resulting coffee has a bit more in common. While Chemex coffee has less body and is much cleaner, both methods do a great job of retaining the flavor of the bean's origin.
French Press | Chemex | |
|---|---|---|
Taste | Rich & aromatic, full-bodied, retains flavors of the bean's origin, less clean than Chemex. | Rich & bright, more clean than French Press, retains flavor of bean's origin. |
Prep Time | About 10 minutes all up. | About 5 minutes. |
Skill Required | Not a whole lot. | Medium, the process is a bit more involved. |
Grind Size | Coarse, (most grinders will have a specified setting). | Fine to medium-fine. |
How does it work? | Immersion coffee brewing. | Filtration / drip brewing method. |
Extra | Optional extra filter. | You'll need specific Chemex filters. NOT regular paper filters. |
Expect To Pay | $15 - 80 | $30 - 50 |
The Bottom Line:
If you want a rich, full-bodied & flavorful cup, go for French Press. If you'd rather a cleaner & brighter cup, go for Chemex.
French Press Vs. Moka Pot
These two brewing methods are quite different, but they do share a nice full body! Let's take a look at the two methods side by side.
French Press | Moka Pot | |
|---|---|---|
Taste | Rich & aromatic, full-bodied, retains flavors of the bean's origin. | Stronger, also full-bodied, taste is less dependent on beans. |
Prep Time | About 10 minutes. | About 10 minutes. |
Skill Required | Not a whole lot. | It's easy to make Moka Pot coffee... but a bit of skill is needed to make good Moka Pot coffee. |
Grind Size | Coarse, (most grinders will have a specified setting). | Fine, but not as fine as espresso. |
How does it work? | Immersion coffee brewing. | Pressurized coffee brewing. |
Extra | Optional extra filter. | Optional paper filter. |
Expect To Pay | $15 - 80 | $20 - 50 |
The Bottom Line:
Either way, you're going to get a good body. If you want something stronger and more akin to espresso, go for the Moka Pot. Otherwise, French Press all the way.
French Press Vs. Espresso
We mentioned espresso in the Moka Pot comparison above, but we'll throw in an espresso comparison anyhow. Gotta give the people what they want!
French Press | Espresso | |
|---|---|---|
Taste | Rich & aromatic, full-bodied, retains flavors of the bean's origin. | Stronger, also full-bodied, taste is less dependent on beans. |
Prep Time | About 10 minutes. | Like 30 seconds.. + maybe a couple warm up minutes for your first shot I suppose. |
Skill Required | Not a whole lot. | A lot, you need to know what you're doing. |
Grind Size | Coarse, (most grinders will have a specified setting). | Very fine, (most grinders will have an espresso setting). |
How does it work? | Immersion coffee brewing. | Pressurized coffee brewing. |
Extra | Optional extra filter. | You may opt to take a course to optimize your barista skills. |
Expect To Pay | $15 - 80 | $300+ |
The Bottom Line:
If you have both options available to you, it may come down to how long you want your coffee to last. Heading out and need an energy boost? Espresso. Planning to kick back and relax for a while? Savor that French Press coffee.
Picking the Best French Press
Without further adieu, we'd like to present to you, the 7 best French Presses! Have a look and see which one is right for you.
(Don't worry, you really can't go wrong with any of them)
1. Secura French Press Coffee Maker
This French Press boasts both the highest rating and the lowest cost on Amazon. Can't beat that value!
2. Bodum Columbia Thermal French Press Coffee Maker
A little more pricey than some other options, but extremely durable and long lasting.
3. Coffee Gator French Press Coffee Maker
Coffee Gator offers a great quality & exceedingly stylish French Press for a very reasonable price.
4. Frieling USA Double Wall French Press Coffee Maker
This is the most expensive item on our list, but if you're a French Press fanatic, it's a worthwhile investment!
5. SterlingPro Mirror Finish French Press
This big French Press has a mirror style finish so that you can watch yourself anxiously await your coffee fix. The 59 oz option is the biggest that we've come across!
6. KONA French Press Coffee Maker
What's that? Yes of course you could brew Hawaiian Kona coffee in your Kona French Press, great idea!
7. Kitchen Supreme French Press Coffee Maker Bundle
This German made, thermal shock resistant French Press comes with a bunch of goodies!
Our Favorite?
Secura French Press Coffee Maker
Each of these French Press options will serve you well, but if we HAD to pick just one...
It would be Secura. You simply cannot beat the value. This thing consistently makes great coffee and is very durable. There's a reason this is the highest rated French Press on Amazon. Believe the hype!
That concludes our French Press guide. Thoughts? Comments? Recommendations? We want to hear your thoughts on everything French Press related!
Have a coffee question? We may have the answer. Ask away!
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